Quenching Flames
by chryseum
Summary: Flame has always wanted something more, something beyond the wooden fences. A night he ventures out twists his destiny as a storm breaks lose, separating him from his housefolk. As he comes across nature untouched by Nofurs for the first time, he discovers the four Clans and finds the near-endless moor is where he was meant to be. But is there something that threatens the peace?
1. Allegiences

**WINDCLAN**

**LEADER - **Squirrelstar - dark ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**DEPUTY - **Tigerfur - dark brown tabby tom, amber eyes

**MEDICINE CAT - **Brindlefrost - mottled white she-cat with blue eyes

**WARRIORS**

Whitedrop - pure white she-cat with brown eyes

Tinydust - small pale brown tom, amber eyes

**apprentice, Featherpaw**

Onepoppy - brown she-cat with a white splash on chest, amber eyes

Volefur - brown-and-white tom, green eyes

**apprentice, Eaglepaw**

Swanfeather - pale gray she-cat, blue eyes

Roseleaf - creamy she-cat with long fur and brown eyes

Sorreldust - tawny tortoiseshell she-cat, amber eyes

Thornclaw - golden-brown tabby tom, amber eyes

**apprentice, Sandpaw**

Dewstalker - gray tabby tom, blue eyes

**APPRENTICES**

Sandpaw - pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Featherpaw - long-furred gray tabby tom, amber eyes

Eaglepaw - dark brown tom, green eyes

**QUEENS**

Lilyripple - white tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes (mother of Tinydust's kits; Cherrykit (tortoiseshell she-cat), Harekit (light brown tom), Willowkit (pale gray she-cat with pale blue eyes)

Lizardstrike - pale brown tabby she-cat, brown eyes (carrying Tigerfur's kits)

**ELDERS**

Gingerwing - long-furred dark ginger she-cat, amber eyes

Bluespots - gray-and-white tom, pale blue eyes

Nightfire - black tom with bright amber eyes

**THUNDERCLAN**

**LEADER - **Stonestar - big dark gray tom with amber eyes

**DEPUTY - **Longsight - thin-furred black-and-white tom with big, pale blue eyes

**MEDICINE CAT - **Gingerpelt - long-furred ginger tabby tom with green eyes

**apprentice, Milkpaw**

**WARRIORS**

Yellowdust - pale ginger she-cat, amber eyes

Duskleaf - dark brown tom

Fallenstone - white tom with ginger patches

**apprentice, Hazelpaw**

Cedarfeet - dark gray tom

Larkwhisper - pale brown tabby she-cat

Lizarddust - mottled brown she-cat

**apprentice, Frostpaw**

Daisystreak - creamy she-cat with a darker stripe along her flank

Emberfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat with icy blue eyes

**APPRENTICES**

Milkpaw - pale gray, almost white she-cat with light amber eyes

Hazelpaw - light brown tom

Frostpaw - white tom with icy blue eyes

**QUEENS**

Mousetail - pale brown she-cat with a stumpy tail

Pepperbreath - tortoiseshell she-cat with a harsh temper

**ELDERS**

Redgaze - white tom with dark amber eyes

Sageeyes - pale gray she-cat with pale eyes

Cindermist - gray tabby she-cat

**SHADOWCLAN**

**LEADER- **Pinestar – dark ginger tom

**DEPUTY- **Cedarfall – dark gray tom

**MEDICINE CAT- **Sparkflame – mottled ginger tom

**WARRIORS**

Bluefrost – pale blue-gray she-cat

Birdwish – long-furred white she-cat

Dustripple – pale brown tabby tom

Berrynose – tortoiseshell she-cat

**apprentice, Poolpaw**

Windbone – white tom

Bramblesun – dusky brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes

**apprentice, Clawpaw**

Owlrain – mottled brown tom

**APPRENTICES**

Poolpaw – blue-gray she-cat

Clawpaw – pale gray tom

**QUEENS**

Hollywatcher – dark brown tabby she-cat

Hazelfoot – golden-brown tabby

Sharpnose – long-nosed ginger tabby

**ELDERS**

Shadowflight – black she-cat

Firefoot – white tom with ginger paws

**RIVERCLAN**

**LEADER- **Thrushstar -

**DEPUTY- **Tinystep – small dusky brown tom with small white paws

**apprentice, Breezepaw**

**MEDICINE CAT- **Sandglow – pale ginger tabby she-cat

**WARRIORS**

Brindleclaw – mottled brown she-cat

Weaselwind – long-furred dusky brown tom

Fuzzytooth – pale brown tom with fur that perpetually stands on end and protruding fangs

**apprentice, Dustpaw**

Jaywhisker – silver tabby she-cat

Nightwhisker – black she-cat

Pebbleclaw – mottled gray tom

**apprentice, Silverpaw**

Shiningdream – white she-cat

**APPRENTICES**

Breezepaw – ginger tabby tom

Dustpaw – dark brown tabby she-cat

Silverpaw – silver tabby tom

**QUEENS**

Bouncestreak – yellow tabby

Mintears – pale gray she-cat

Birchleap – dusky brown tabby

**ELDERS**

Goldflare – golden tabby tom

Cherryseeker – tortoiseshell she-cat

Sunstreak – golden-brown tabby tom


	2. Prologue

Prologue

Hushed voices, quiet mews. Whiskers covered in stardust twitched in conversation, pelts translucent but bright, each their own star in the sky. Gossip, friendly chatter over a quick bite. StarClan was well, StarClan was healthy, and that was how things were meant to be.

But that was a moon ago, and this full moon the clouds had shadowed it, raining darkness on distressed cats at Fourtrees. The Clans quickly dismissed, separating until they were all, once again, four different Clans with tension between their scent lines. As they returned to their camp, leaders called meetings, and sleepy cats stepped out of their dens with their eyes wide and their tails quivering. News was delivered; various cats hissed and yowled their distress and defiance. The territories were loud that night bathed in darkness.

StarClan was much quieter with its arguments, bristling pelts and hisses whispered in ears.

"Is that allowed?"

"Can that be done?"

"Should we have stopped it?"

One cat, ragged and worn and faded much more than the rest, hissed out a warning for all the cats to fall silent. And they did, their respect for the ancient cat hushing them and swamping their anger. As she stepped up to the flat rock that all the cats seemed to be gathered around, she gave one lash of her tail, narrowing amber eyes into slits.

"This is allowed," she grunted, voice holding enough authority to quiet cats that were usually spitting their defiance by now. Cats bit their tongues to stay silent, their tensing muscles and raising fur not the only signs to their anger. Eyes sweeping over the crowd once, the old she-cat continued. "He performed the ceremony correctly; why wouldn't he be allowed to do that?"

One brave cat raised their voice. "Then why isn't he bold enough to face us?"

The she-cat's eyes clouded, one ear flicking in annoyance. "He does not reside here," she meowed, though a twitch of her whiskers kept the cats from crying out. "You young cats are naïve, thinking StarClan is the only place dead cats go."

"The Place of No Stars?" A whisper of a young cat, his size piercing the old she-cat's heart like a bramble thorn; he died too young. But when she shook her head, the little tabby's eyes clouded with confusion.

"He will be here," the ancient cat muttered, tongue passing over her tongue. "He will be here." A flick of her tail dismissed the cats, and although they were reluctant, the cats of StarClan obeyed. A few mutters passed here and there, chattering filling every cat's ears. Only some sentences were loud enough to be understood.

"That crazy old flea never makes any sense!"

"Why wouldn't Olivestar come to StarClan? He's been nothing but good!"

"She's just spouting nonsense again, isn't she?"

But the "crazy old flea" paid no mind; she had a task at hand. With a soft blink, a stream bubbled at her paws, and although as much as she wished it she could not feel it, could not disturb its surface as she padded across. Her muscles rippled beneath her pelt despite her apparent old age and ragged appearance. The heather and grass did not move for her; it did not prick at her pelt. The scents and smells, however, were nostalgic enough to cloud her mind for a brief moment, allowing her amber eyes to sweep over the terrain of the moor. While she hadn't been a WindClan cat, the moor was always her home, and she supported the Clan who had taken it as refuge.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the she-cat's eyes glinted with determination. Paws forced forward, barely a fur's width above the dirt. Amber eyes lit up with pride as she recognized the slope that led up to the dip that made the crater; WindClan's camp. While she didn't necessarily need to use the entrance, she respected the Clan's ways, squeezing into the hole in the heather as though it would tug at her fur and leave clumps. But, of course, it did not.

Her paws took her slowly across camp, relishing in the sounds of still life. A snore from the elders' den, a whisper of _"Shut up, Dewpaw!"_ from the apprentices' den, the shifting of a warrior dreaming of chasing a delicious mouse – all were music to the ancient cat's ears. Her tail quivered behind her, wondering what it would have been like to have lived a warrior's life. Perhaps her destiny would, one day, cause her to live once again. But not right now, she told herself, shaking her head in determination.

At last, a hole in the ground sheltered by heather and ferns was in front of the old she-cat. Taking in a deep breath, she padded inside, narrowing her eyes; no longer did she have to wait to adjust to the darkness. What she found was a mottled white she-cat, pacing, counting herbs, distressed. The news had unnerved the Clans, surely, but this Clan – this Clan the ragged she-cat wanted to put to rest.

A leaf drifted inside, catching on the medicine cat's pelt. She did not question logic – no leaf could have gotten through the heather and ferns – and instead shook it off stubbornly. Ears flicking, the old she-cat let herself chuckle. The young cat could not see nor hear her – not yet.

With a twitch of the old cat's whiskers, the tip of the leaf caught fire. It took a moment, but the medicine cat's eyes widened, a small exclamation leaving her mouth as she jumped back in surprise. When she landed her forepaws on the fire to put it out, she found that it did not burn – but it did not waver, either. Realization sparked in the white cat's eyes, and she tilted her head, amazed.

Finally, the ancient's words could be heard clearly, ringing in the other cat's ears: "A flame cannot be quenched, even by great darkness."

And then the flame flickered as though wind was disturbing it, and it disappeared, leaving the leaf untouched. As the young she-cat inspected it, she let out a surprised mew at finding no burn marks on it. Her blue eyes glanced around, searching the den, brushing past the ragged cat in search for the source of the words – the StarClan cat. However, she would not find her.

With content, the she-cat heaved a sigh and faded. StarClan would welcome her as always, but she had somewhere else to be.


	3. Chapter 1: Loose

The wind ruffled Flame's pelt, fur plastered to his sides as his whiskers twitched in satisfaction. Paws firmly planted on the stone beneath them, the tom imagined more than the fan blowing air at him; he stared out the window from his perch, blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he made an attempt at picking out every little detail. Shaved grass barely twitched in the summer winds; planted trees rustled, their flowers sometimes shedding petals; a distant bark of a small dog finding something exciting. Flame's paws itched to dig through the grass and hop right over the wooden fence barricading him from the rest of the world. He wanted to feel real wind ruffle his fur, unhindered by a collar; he wanted to smell everything to smell, watch a mouse die under his paws…

There was so much to be seen, so much to be done, and it made his pelt prick in excitement. Any minute now and his housefolk would open the window – he'd be free!

He spotted a pelt outside much like his own, only the points were chocolate, not ginger. A mew escaped his jaws and he shot up, nearly falling off his perch as he stared at his next door's she-cat. _Muffin!_

Growing impatient, Flame steadied himself and hopped down from the windowsill. His paws absorbed the shock of the fall, and he shook out his pelt. Now to find his housefolk. Blinking at the dim light of the room, the young tom padded over to the door, noticing a crack. It swung open inward, he knew, so he curled his paw to snatch it open, darting through once the opening was large enough for him to fit through.

Now instead of tile, carpet met his paws and he briefly caught one of his hind claws in the material. Murring slightly in surprise, he twisted his head, eyes narrowing in frustration as he shook his paw free of the carpet's grip. Really, it was soft and comfy when he napped on it, but he had to be careful of his claws when playing!

A whine caught his attention, and Flame turned, eyes rounding. The puppy his housefolk had recently brought was staring at him from across the room on one of the soft rocks, brown eyes lighting up with excitement. The Siamese couldn't stifle a purr at the sight of her; while the little scrap could get annoying at times, she was still a part of the family even if they couldn't understand each other.

With a happy yip the young dog hopped clumsily off the cushion – Flame knew that if this wasn't carpet her paws would be flying all over the place – and charged over, stopping just short of her housemate. Her rump went in the air, her front half splayed across the ground in some sort of play-stance; but Flame didn't have time to play right now. A quick tap to her head was all she was rewarded with, and the tom had to ignore the spark of disappointment in the pup's eyes as he trotted off in determination.

The opening to the food room was open, and he could scent all the different spices and things used to make Nofur food taste better to them. He wrinkled his nose, the aromas a bit overwhelming, but he pushed it aside. He had to remind his housefolk that it was time to let him outside. Slinking through, he noticed the male at the bar moving back and forth as he prepared his food. _Better not disturb him,_ Flame mused, padding the other way.

The female, however, was sitting at the table with some paper in hand as she read, long fur on the top of her head tied up. The tom forced a purr, weaving around her legs beneath the table. She let out a soft noise of surprise, and a naked paw came down to stroke him. His purr only increased in volume, tail raised in a greeting.

"Let me outside!" he begged, and he heard the female coo and she put down her paper. "Please?" He knew this routine like his own pelt; he padded a little ways, looking back over his shoulder to make sure she was following, then continued on and repeated. They were briefly interrupted by the pup greeting the Nofur with her usual happy yips and yelps, and she followed them into Flame's room, to which he didn't mind. She couldn't get out through the window, anyway.

As he hopped up onto his perch, his housefolk made a noise of faked realization and stroked him once more. The latch to the window was opened, and she pushed it upwards; immediately foreign air pushed at Flame, and he mewed in gratitude to his Nofur before pushing off, feeling the wind in his fur as he soared. Or, rather, he fell. Jumped. But same thing.

Once again he landed, though this time he staggered a bit. Shaved grass tickled at his paws, and he shook one forepaw to rid the feeling. The tom muttered, but he quickly shook off his discomfort; the feeling of being outside, of being free calmed his nerves.

As he glanced up to the sky with narrowed blue eyes, it was nearly sunhigh. Birds flew overhead, singing their annoying little songs of joy at being alive – and being free. Jealousy burned in Flame's stomach, but he had to shake it off; he was a housecat, not a wild cat. He was born that way and that was how it was supposed to be. He'd be taken to the cutter soon and then there'd be no possible way he could be a wild cat.

Huffing, the tom glanced up at the fence post where Muffin had previously been sitting, but the she-cat was nowhere to be seen. His tail flicked behind him, muscles in his hind legs bunching before pushing him up into the air. He let his forepaws steady himself on the side of the fence before bringing his hinds back up and pushing him off once again until he reached the top. Though he swayed, he'd done this whole balancing thing enough times to be a natural. Carefully placing one paw after the other, Flame crossed the line of the fence until he reached the one that connected with his next door's yard. Muffin wasn't in there.

Screwing up his nose, Flame sat his rump down on a fence post. Where could she have been? She was always out at the same time, and they always played together. He supposed he could go exploring on his own, but it was always more fun with someone else. Besides, what if Muffin didn't believe all the things he'd seen when he would come back? She needed to see them for herself, too!

Suddenly a weight slammed into his back and he screeched as he was knocked over into Muffin's yard. The fall was clumsy and a pain shot up from his left forepaw, but he quickly shook it off as he tumbled with whatever had knocked him over. He almost swiped an unsheathed paw at his attacker, but a familiar scent stopped him.

"Muffin!" he purred, squirming out from underneath her. The she-cat shook her pelt, her eyes glowing with mirth.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" she meowed, voice laced with laughter. She sat neatly down, tail curling over her paws as she tilted her head. "You were looking for me, right?"

"Of course," Flame grunted, his pelt twitching as he felt a piece of grass stuck to his back. He quickly twisted to groom the spot, spitting out the blade quickly. Huffing, he continued. "I look for you every day."

Muffin narrowed her matching blue eyes, a mischievous glint in them. "You're planning something. I can tell. What is it?"

Surprise ruined, Flame slumped his shoulders. "I wanted to go exploring with you," he responded, quickly perking back up and bouncing on his paws. "I want to take a left at the broken fence instead of a right this time. I think there's more to be seen there!"

Uncertainty flashed in the she-cat's eyes. "I don't know," she meowed carefully. "Patchy says it's dangerous. There are wild animals there and lots of things that can harm you." Flame wrinkled his nose. _Patchy,_ he thought crossly.

"That old tom doesn't do anything these days. How should he know?" The tom scoffed, shaking his head as he waved his tail in the air to and fro. "Why? Is that the wild?" Excitement pricked at his pelt, and his paws seemed to be carrying him in that direction already even as he stood there. His belly clenched uncomfortably. He needed to see it for himself!

"I think so," Muffin admitted, a forepaw scuffing the grass slightly. She flinched when Flame let out a yowl of excitement and the tom took off, hauling himself onto the fence once more.

"Come on!" he called, looking down at his friend still sitting in the yard. She stared right back up at him, round eyes filled to the brim with worry. "I'll protect you. Let's go!"

With a sigh of resolution, the she-cat followed, and together they balanced along the fence. They twisted this way and that along the Nofur dens, keeping their senses peeled for any signs of a hostile housecat or vicious dog. Luckily, all of those were inside or absent for the day, and they managed to clear the fence rather easily.

At the edge of one of the fence posts, the left side broke away as though a monster had crashed into the wood and it had yet to be repaired. Flame's pelt prickled with apprehension as he leaped down from the fence, followed closely by Muffin. He pressed his tail to her shoulder as comfort, sensing her unease.

Ahead ran a long Thunderpath, though thankfully to the side there was a smaller one that Flame had seen Nofurs ride those two-pawed, skinny things on. Monsters didn't stray onto there if they could help it, he knew, so he led his friend along the small path, their fur occasionally ruffled by a passing monster. Sometimes they even had to cough when the fumes made them feel sick.

"My paws hurt," Muffin meowed after a while. "There's nothing to see here. Why don't we head back?"

Flame glanced at her over his shoulder to see the she-cat's tail and head drooping as she trotted on with a slight limp. "Head back? But we haven't even gotten there yet!" Though, he did feel a bit worried for her. He knew she could find her way back to her den; that wasn't what was bothering him. But she looked so worn out already…

"Gotten there?" she echoed, glancing up at him with confusion. "Gotten where?"

"Can't you smell it?" Flame stopped, turning to face the she-cat with round, excited blue eyes. "The wind? The freedom? The trees, the open spaces?"

Muffin stared back at him blankly. "I can't smell anything." She twitched her whiskers, frowning at him. "I'm heading back. Aren't you coming?"

Flame shook his head, determined. "No. I'm going to keep going. But don't worry;" he added, practically feeling her concern flowing off her in waves, "I'll be back later. I can find my way home." Though Muffin hesitated, she leaned to touch her nose to Flame's and turned back, waving her tail in a good-bye.

But he couldn't let this stop him. Sucking in a breath, the tom turned and continued following the small path. There seemed to be fewer monsters than near his den, and he was grateful for that. Less noise, less stench.

Suddenly the small path veered to one side, but Flame didn't follow it. With a quick glance left and right he ran across the Thunderpath, the stones making his paws ache, but he was used to it. He could smell it; the wind, the freedom… Just beyond that hill, just beyond that Nofur den.

The tom ran alongside the fence, outside, hearing scuffling of a dog sniffing at him. Though is pelt pricked, the dog didn't bark, and it was small, he could tell; he was used to small dogs being curious. As long as it wasn't being hostile, he would let it do whatever; besides, it couldn't reach him through the wooden barrier.

Up the slope he went, paws scrabbling for a hold on the shaved grass. The hill was steep but not steep enough to stop Flame from pushing onward until he was at the top, panting and limbs aching. The scenery took his breath away and nearly made the ground swirl beneath his paws; a meadow, stretching as far as he could see; trees stuck together like blades of grass next to it; a river flowed in between, sheltering the marsh.

This was freedom.

With an excited squeal, Flame pushed off the ground, letting himself tumble down the hill until he was at the bottom. Pollen flew into the air and he sneezed, shaking his head. This was it; this was where he needed to go from now on. He couldn't wait to show Muffin tomorrow! They could play all sorts of games here way better than they could in their small yards. Suddenly the Nofurplace seemed so far away, and much too crowded. He'd spend most of his time here, if he could.

A raindrop dampened his mood. Thunder sounded overhead, a blink of lightning making his pelt prickle. _That_ was what Muffin was so nervous about. Flame himself wasn't great at detecting when it was going to storm, though his friend always seemed like she had ants in her pelt just before the sky grew dark.

_Maybe it'll hold off,_ he hoped, wrinkling his nose. _I'll just explore a little and then head back. No big deal. _As he padded ahead, the tom had to hop over tussocks of grass to see; he wasn't used to the long grass pricking at his pelt and blocking his view almost entirely. Once when he leaped, he landed on dirt and was surprised to find himself in a rabbit trail, the grass closing in overhead. He couldn't see the sky, but it was still thundering and raindrops still made the grass twitch above him. It would probably be better if he found some shelter, he figured, tail quivering in anxiety.

He'd just shelter here and then return home once the storm quit.

Taking in a deep breath, he followed the rabbit trail, nose wrinkling in aggravation at all the twists and turns it held. It ended in a tunnel, small but big enough for him to fit through. Should he go down there? It could very well crumble around him and trap him inside. Shuddering, he imagined soil and water swirling around him, filling his ears and nostrils until he couldn't even yowl for help.

A loud boom overhead decided for him. Flinching, Flame quickly ducked his head and shimmied inside, having to squeeze just a little. Thankfully the tunnel was wider after the entrance, but not enough that he could turn around. With his back toward the hole, how would he know when it stopped raining? He supposed he'd wait until it stopped thundering; traveling wet wasn't so bad, was it?

Another thunder, and he could feel the earth trembling as water suddenly began pouring from the sky. He shivered, feeling cold despite the fact the soil pushing against his fur was warm and smelling of rabbit. Something cold hit his hindquarters, and Flame flinched once more, eyes narrowing in confusion.

When realization hit him, he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. Water was pooling in the rabbit trail and flowing into the burrow! He'd drown! Quickly he tried to back out of the tunnel, but more water just poured through, making the ground beneath his hind paws unsafe. He couldn't get a grip with his claws. Breathing heavily, the tom continued to try, bumping against the ceiling as it groaned precariously. He didn't want to die down here, but he could feel the dirt beneath his forepaws turn to mud and stick to his chin.

He had to outrun the torrent of water before he drowned. Breathing deeply, he pushed forward, getting a grip on the dry soil to pull his hind paws out of the mud. He could feel it plastering his previously-white coat, but there wasn't time to care. He had to go on. Darkness closed all around him, the sounds of the thundering and falling rain muffled to his ears. He could feel the sides of the tunnel with his whiskers sometimes open up into a side tunnel, but he was too afraid of it being a dead end to follow it.

Every so often he could feel a splash of water hit the tip of his tail that caused him to pick up his pace. He swerved along with the tunnel as it made a turn, feeling his anxiety shoot up. Where was he? Would the tunnel collapse on him? Could he ever find his way out?

His questions were answered with a jolt as the tunnel suddenly sloped downwards. He whimpered, twitching his whiskers to feel for a side tunnel. He couldn't turn around without one with the tunnel being so small, but he had to.

Because the tunnel was a dead end.


End file.
